what a week

 

It really was a huge week, with not exactly three new lectures to deliver but let's say the equivalent of two (split one in half to make two, and add about 30% of new material into a 2-hour one, but make them all more or less make sense). 

During the week one of my phd students asked about lecturing, I think the train of thought came from nervousness about public speaking. I had never really thought about it too much (however much is too much) but in responding I framed it as a kind of performance - which it obviously is - though as I said then, it's not performance of the type of 'this is my life, reject it and you reject me', like a play or a monologue. So in my lecture this afternoon for instance one student just got up and walked out, which was interesting, but for all I know he had diarrhoea, it's better that he left in that case. There used to be an interesting toilet under that particular lecture theatre, I don't know what's there now. 

Above is an image related to about the only really interesting thing I did this week, some brief time in the Public Records Office looking at material relating to Churchill aka Hazelwood. Lots of fun plans and memos. I wish I could have spent more time doing that. But you know. Not possible. 

At least now it's Easter, which is boring, but also, opportunity to relax a little for a short time anyway. I'm nearly 59. 

update

*

Thought it was time to revisit this.

However, I started this what we used to call 'meme' on the 9/2 and finished it on the 10/2, so sadly you are going to get some slightly confusing results. 

Do you think​ you’r​e matur​e?​ Yes. Have you kisse​d someb​ody in the last 2 weeks​?​​ Sure.​ Who was the last perso​n's house​ you went to besid​es your own? Laura’s Miss someo​ne? ​​Aside from dead people, no. What’​s on your mind?​ Public Records Office. Anyth​ing annoy​ing you right​ now? I’m tired, I think the earthquake woke me up early in the morning. What did you do last night​? ​​Watched episode 2 of Nemesis. It was hott. Who did you ride in a car with last besid​es your famil​y? ​​Huh? You mean including Perry as 'family'? Well, it's too long ago to remember, I think. What did you do Sunda​y? I blogged it…  Do you have any bruis​es?​​ No What were you doing​ at noon yeste​rday?​​I was at the Faculty All Staff Meeting at the Arts Centre. I am not entirely sure what I was doing but I was doing it there. ​How long does it take you to get ready​? ​​Depen​ds.​ Betwe​en 15 and 45 minut​es.​ Have you been outsi​de today​? ​​In the courtyard, yes. Last movie​ you watch​ed? Anatomy of a Fall What do you miss? People and pets who have died, if that can be a 'what'. Last perso​n you hugge​d? Well that's not a mystery but also too personal. The last place​ you went to? PROV Who/​What made you upset​ today​? SCOTUS I suppose, if anything, oh and that the Guardian is once again pretending I am not a subscriber. Do you sing in the showe​r?​​ No. Has anyon​e ever sang or playe​d music​ for you perso​nally​? ​​I guess​ so. If you could​ fix thing​s with anyon​e who would​ it be and why? I don't feel a strong need in this regard. Do you get along​ with your paren​ts? ​​Well enoug​h. ​Ever been stuck​ in an eleva​tor? ​​Yes in 1976 at what would become my high school the following year. Wallp​aper on your cell phone​? ​Sounds ridiculous. Where​ was your defau​lt pictu​re taken​? I don't remember what these were/are, only that they don't exist anymore. What is your curre​nt mood? ​​Meh. Ever had a near death​ exper​ience​? We all have, right? I mean it's always there and most of the time if you're lucky (?) you don't know about it. What are you liste​ning to? I was listening to Neil Young and now, just ambient quiet. Do you get along​ with girls​? ​​I think so. Last movie​ you saw in theat​ers?​ As mentioned, Anatomy of a Fall. Last thing​ you ate? Tempeh and silverbeet. Are you happy​ right​ now? Sure - fine. What's​ the last thing​ someo​ne said to you? Something like, 'see you later'. What were you doing​ at midni​ght last night​? Probably sleep​ing. ​What about​ at eleve​n? ​​Not sure but may have been reading. What'​s the last thing​ you thoug​ht about​? The question of what I was doing at 11. How do you feel about​ your hair right​ now? No feelings. What is one thing​ you quest​ion a lot? Really, I don't think there is one thing I question. Are you marri​ed? ​Not any more. Is there​ anyon​e who doesn​'​t like you? Of course. Are you mad at someo​ne right​ now? Not really, there are some people I really hate, personally, but they aren't people I deal with regularly or indeed have had interaction with for a long time. Do you have any tatto​os or pierc​ings? ​​No. ​When was the last time you threw​ up? I really don't remember, but I am confident it's been years, like, more than five years at least. Do you curse​ a lot? What does that even mean any more. I use the words but not as much as you'd think. Do you have a lot on your mind right​ now? Yes and no. Have you lost frien​ds in the past year? ​​Not officially, though I do feel like the friendship group is contracting a bit, but you know what? That could just be a combination of, firstly, everyone's busy and secondly, we're all on social media, well almost all, so we don't necessarily need to regularly catch up and touch base, which I think are the same thing. Certainly I have not lost friends in a 'fuck you' 'well fuck you' way. ​

That was pretty unsatisfying, sorry. I was wasting time. I hope you didn't read it because then you wasted time, too. 

*this image is an AI-generated response to 'updating a meme in 2024'. Of course, AI in 2024 doesn't understand what we called memes 16 years ago, but still, it clearly had fuck all idea what to produce here, and it's kind of funny that it came up with this. I asked for it again 'with kittens and snails' and got this:

prov

Spent quite a bit of time at the Public Records Office this week, found some amazeballs stuff. Look at this contraption. That's virtually a staircase you can walk up there. 

The following is a clipping which appears in the Town Clerk's miscellaneous papers... if the Prince of Wales did come back a second time I wonder if that was glorious or a hassle. I also wonder why he would. 

It's nice to see some issues of The American City, a scintillating little magazine that never gets overjazzed. 

one hour's work took a day

I shit you not. Although I got a lot of other things done too, including reading an excruciating Enid Blyton book (look, I had my reasons) and correcting a lot of pages of another book, and doing my emails etc on the train when the train condescended to go through places where there was coverage. But all good y'know?

So I had to look at the Borough of Swan Hill's minutes for 1939+ to see what they were saying at the time about the Frank Heath plan for Swan Hill which was launched (such as it was) in the early 1940s. TLDR, I mean, cut to the chase, long story short, whatever: there seems to be almost no interest or concern at borough council level regarding the Heath plan, which was pretty swish, but there you go. They don't talk about it, except once, which suggests to me that it's being funded from another source, though I don't know what that source might be. So anyway rather than settle an issue, a bigger question has been raised. However, there was a lot of other interesting things in those minutes, so I'm not sad. The minute book was, in any case, held at the Bendigo branch of the Public Record Office's reading room. 

It did only take an hour though. Then I had time to kill till the train (more than I realised, or rather, maybe less than I realised, well that's confusing what I mean is... I looked on the PTV app to see when the train coming back was, and what I didn't realise was the app wasn't telling me when the train left the station but rather when I would have to wait at a nearby bus stop (I was, like, three or four blocks away - 15 minutes' walk max) to get a bus to the train station. So I walked to the train station and had another 40 minutes to kill. For all I know, I could have got an earlier train. Anyway... doesn't matter. 

I went to a couple of op shops but nothing jumped out at me, which is perhaps for the best all things considered. I had a good coffee and a weird sandwich, and I bought an oven mitt that seems to have been made out of those rubbery sucker things we used to throw at windows and watch them crawl down. Also I bought a copy of Mojo, a magazine that really has nothing going for it anymore, but it had an article on Magazine and I guess I just wanted to see what they'd say, because I like Magazine. 

Been awake since 4am though (for no reason I can glean) so I guess I'm a bit fuckin' shagged now. Will stay up for Mad as Hell but that's IT. 

three irritations

Public Records Office today: (1) a man who was apparently unaware that his phone was on speaker. I said to the guy behind the counter, 'is someone in here talking really loudly with their phone on speaker?' and he said 'Yes. Libraries are changing'. (2) some old bitch yelling at the top of her not insubstantial voice all the details of her parents, where they lived, what they did, spelling every name out loud. I couldn't tell whether she was trying to explain something to a staff member, talking on the phone, or talking to herself. 

SLV: (3) I thought some young fool was listening to a lecture or something on a portable speaker but then I discovered she was just tolerating the noise of another young fool on the other side of the partition listening to his own voice speaking on a video he was watching on a screen ... or was it his twin I don't know what was going on! All I know is it was in a library, which is a place where people go to read and reading is hard and we shouldn't have to be distracted by people's fuckuppery! 

To calm us all down here are some images from the 1962 RIBA Journal I was looking at (OR TRYING TO)